Alan Rapp

The “Zanin Window” still deserves a transparent explanation. Whatever Flávio does next, his decisions cannot substitute for an independent examination of what happened on election night in Brazil. Lula’s former lawyer, now Supreme Court Justice @Cristianozaninm, ordered an unprecedented nationwide voting extension after some polling stations had already closed. The electoral authorities then temporarily suspended receipt of polling station tallies and national aggregation. In other words, they stopped the counting of votes for 2 hours after the counting started. That is the Zanin Window. Then came another extraordinary sequence. According to Brazilian reporting, the Federal Police issued a request to Alexandre de Moraes to seize Flávio’s passports and prevent him from leaving the country seven minutes after mathematical confirmation of Lula’s victory. Moraes granted the measures even though Flavio is not charged with any crime. Lula must agree to an independent technical audit with international participation and meaningful access. Reconcile original polling station tallies with published results. Examine system logs and operational changes, especially during the Zanin Window. Establish exactly where the extension operated and what happened during the interruption. Publish the methods, findings and limitations. An audit must be free to substantiate the result or identify discrepancies. It must have international observers. Otherwise it is a political exercise.